Retro Revisited: Punch & Judy (C64)

One of the strangest games I ever owned for the Commodore 64 was Punch and Judy, a strange collect-em-up based on the puppet show of the same name. The game was developed by Clockwize, and published by Alternative Software in 1989 at the price of £2.99.

I chose to cover this game not because it is especially significant, nor has it an interesting development history that I intend to do a deep-dive on – this is just a simple budget game, after all.

Instead, the reason why I chose Punch and Judy is because it is a curiosity; a demonstration of the creativity of the designers who take a concept that you’d never have thought workable, yet somehow turn it into an actual game at a more than affordable price.

Set in a quintessentially British seaside resort, the objective of the game is to prepare for a Punch and Judy show on the golden sands of the local beach, which would be simple enough, had someone not decided to scatter fragments of the booth in random locations around the nearby town.

As Mr. Punch, players must scour the streets in search of the missing booth, then take them down to seafront to be assembled.

Fortunately, the game map isn’t large enough to make things terribly confusing, and it’s quite easy to map the streets mentally – no need to use graph paper and a pencil here.

The booth pieces look like segmented rectangles and are placed randomly in a number of locations throughout the back-streets of the town. Only a single piece of the booth exists in the game world at a time, so finding them is not an easy task, especially as the locations are randomised each time you play.

Once Punch has collected a piece, he must take it back to the beach in order to assemble the booth.

Once all eight pieces have been assembled Punch must find the other members of the show’s cast – who seem to have gone walkabout – and escort them to the beach as well so that they can perform in the show. In keeping with tradition, Punch can cajole them with a quick whack with his slapstick, causing them to follow him for a short period of time, although a few extra swipes are needed to keep them in line.

In keeping with the show’s tradition, Punch can cajole the other cast members by giving them a good whack with his slap-stick, causing them to follow him for a short period of time. Annoyingly, the other members will try and sneak away if you’re not careful and need to be brought back in line with a few good swipes.

Other characters from the show pop up from time to time to cause trouble, such as the police constable who dumps you in a police cell, removing any pieces of the booth you were carrying, or setting free anyone that was following you.

The crocodile, on the other hand, will rapidly reduce the amount of time you have to beat the game by bringing in the tide; he can be lured away by putting down some sausages, but it’s easier to simply run away.

Occasionally, you will find coins that will be added to your money pouch at the bottom of the screen. I wasn’t quite sure what purpose these served, but I think they’re used to buy more sausages from the butcher’s shop if you actually run out.

Once the booth is built and the cast assembled, the show begins.

The objective here is to hit the other cast members with your stick without getting caught by the constable. Pressing down on the joystick causes Punch to disappear, ten to reappear on the other side of the booth in appropriately farcical fashion, and is a quick way to escape the clutches of the constable. If you manage to beat all of the cast members to a pulp then you win the game.

As an actual game Punch and Judy isn’t particularly great – it doesn’t take very long to complete, and the sound effects are so basic as to be almost non-existent.

Moreover, it is the depiction of the seaside town which I find especially endearing, and anyone who has ever been to Blackpool, Great Yarmouth and other seaside resorts will be hard-pressed not to raise a smile while playing. The local shops are stuffed with buckets and spades, confectionery, beach-balls and other seaside paraphernalia, and the seafront includes a promenade with an arcade, beach umbrellas and windsurfers.

Clockwize somehow managed to bottle a tiny bit of 80s childhood magic, albeit in pixelated form, providing a fleeting glimpse at those long summer holidays now long gone, but certainly not forgotten – happy times.